Youth Apps

Google Doodle Celebrates Kitty O'Neil's 77th Birthday Today's Doodle, illustrated by deaf guest artist Meeya Tjiang of Washington, DC, honors the 77th birthday of Kitty O'Neil, who was once proclaimed "the fastest woman in the world." Kitty was a famed American stunt performer, daredevil, and driver of rocket-powered vehicles who had been deaf since childhood. O'Neil was born on this date in 1946 in Corpus Christi, Texas to a Cherokee Native American mother and an Irish father. Since she was just a few months old, she battled several infections, which resulted in a severe fever that rendered her deaf. Throughout her life, she mastered numerous techniques of communication and adapted to various audiences, finally favoring speaking and lip reading the most. O'Neil refused to view her deafness as an obstacle and instead referred to it as a strength. Later, she developed a passion for diving, but a wrist injury and illness prevented her from competing. Yet...

Google Doodle Celebrates Jovelina Pérola Negra's 78th Birthday In the 1980s, Jovelina Pérola Negra's deep, swinging voice and delicate improvisations changed Brazil's samba dance scene. Today's Doodle, painted by Rio de Janeiro-based guest artist La Minna, commemorates the 78th birthday of the singer-songwriter. Pérola Negra was born Jovelina Faria Belfort in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and grew up in the Belford Roxo area singing and dancing samba. Jovelina Pérola Negra (meaning "black pearl" in Portuguese) was offered by a friend since it complemented her beautiful skin and fine voice. Pérola Negra worked as a housemaid and attended Império Serrano, a renowned samba school in Rio de Janeiro, until she was 40 years old. She sung at neighborhood samba gatherings known as pagodes in Rio de Janeiro's working-class neighborhoods on a regular basis. Pérola Negra gained the opportunity to record her debut album, Raca Brasileira, with other newly found performers wh...

Google Doodle Celebrates Lydia Tin Ha Sum's 77th Birthday Lydia Tin Ha Sum, one of Hong Kong's most renowned comedians, is 77 today, and today's Doodle honors her. The Shanghai-born performer, also known as "Fei Fei" (which means "Fat Fat" in Cantonese) and "Happy Fruit," is a household figure in Chinese communities throughout the world, bringing laughter and joyful energy to her presentations. On this day in 1945, Sum was born. She began her career as an adolescent actor for the Shaw Brothers Studio, Hong Kong's leading production firm at the time. She made her breakthrough in 1967 as the emcee of the famous variety show "Enjoy Yourself Tonight." She then played a prominent role in the well-known Cantonese movie "The House of 72 Tenants," which centers on the daily lives of people who dwell in a dilapidated flat. Theatergoers responded favorably to Sum's accurate depiction of working-class ladies. The movie outperfo...

Google Doodle Celebrates Balamani Amma's 113th Birthday Today’s Doodle, illustrated by Kerala-based artist Devika Ramachandran, celebrates the 113th birthday of Balamani Amma, a famous Indian poet who was known as the grandmother of Malayalam literature—a language spoken in Kerala, India. On this day in 1909, she was born in Nalapat, her ancestral home in Punnayurkulam located in the Thrissur district. She was a recipient of countless awards for her poetry including the Saraswati Samman—the nation’s most esteemed literary award—and Padma Vibhushanthe—the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India. Amma got no official education or training and was instead educated at home by her uncle Nalappat Narayana Menon, a prominent Malayali poet. He possessed an outstanding collection of books and works, which Amma had studied since she was a child. At the age of 19, she married V.M. Nair, the managing director and managing editor of the Malayalam daily Mathrubhumi. Amma released ...